


Shared Investments

by youcouldmakealife



Series: Impaired Judgment (and other excuses) [84]
Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18686206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcouldmakealife/pseuds/youcouldmakealife
Summary: Jared isn’t like, upset two of his friends — okay, his two friends outside of Bryce, he knows himself — already know each other and he wasn’t even aware. He is not.“How do you know Raf Sanchez?” Jared asks Chaz when they meet up for a jog the next morning.





	Shared Investments

After that dinner, it’s like there’s a weight off his chest. Bryce won’t tell him what he said to his parents, even when Jared whines — and he’ll cop to whining, there was maybe whining. Whatever it was, it settles something with them — his mom calls him the next day, just to ‘chat’, and Jared actively doesn’t mind it — and Bryce wanders around in a good mood, all smiles for days. Jared’s still busy, but he guesses he’s not busy being an orphan. He keeps hitting the gym with Bryce, researching good local trainers, but he’s running out of time, and he’s starting to get legit anxiety by the time Bryce commits to going back to his trainer from last summer.

“You could train with me,” Bryce offers.

“There’s no way I could afford that dude,” Jared says.

Bryce gives him this look, all ‘you know I’d pay for it, dummy.’

“And you’re not paying for me,” Jared says.

Bryce scowls. “Come on,” he says. “He’s really good. Plus, you’d get to train with the elite—” Jared is not calling him out on being full of himself, because he totally _is_ the elite, as are a few of the guys he’s going to be training with again “— and we’d get to hang out all day.”

“And within like five days every single person training with us would know we were hooking up,” Jared says.

“We’re not hooking up, we’re _engaged_ ,” Bryce says, sounding offended.

“I really don’t think that’d be their first guess, but guaranteed, they’d know I’m banging you, or want to,” Jared says. “Working out with you would also be shit for my attention span.”

“You’ve done fine when we’ve worked out together,” Bryce says.

“Because I get to fuck you after,” Jared says. It is the inevitable fallout of seeing Bryce all sweaty and intense and strong as fuck. Weights are the worst for that. He’s not complaining or anything, he’d like to make that clear, but no way can they train together anywhere but the gym in their building, which is always deserted except for them. “I’d give us maybe a week before we got caught fucking in the showers.”

Bryce snorts. “Okay, fair,” he says. “Chaz is training in town, you could check with him, see who his guy is?” 

“Point,” Jared says. He doubts Chaz is blowing crazy money on training when he can’t be sure whether he’s making NHL or AHL salary next year. Plus, despite the fact he should never, ever go shopping with Bryce again, because he seems to be a terrible enabler, Chaz isn’t a big spender himself.

Jared is wrong, he guesses. Chaz gets all hyped about Jared possibly joining him, says he’ll talk to his dude to see if there’s space, but the second Chaz mentions the price tag, Jared can’t do it. He’s sure it’s not even close to as much as Bryce is shelling out, but it’s still not cheap. He does some more research when he gets home from Chaz’s, checks into other ones, and they’re not as personalized, maybe, don’t have as few people, and won’t involve getting to hang out with Chaz, but at least they’re not _five thousand dollars_. He bookmarks a few pages, figures he’ll check if any of the Hitmen or something have tried them, see if they like them.

“You talk to Chaz?” Bryce asks, while Jared’s emailing one of the places for a quote. Freaking useless website, all ‘contact us for rates’ instead of even ballparking it.

“Yeah,” Jared says. “It’s way too expensive, so I’m going to figure something else out.”

“How much is it?” Bryce asks. 

“Five grand I don’t have,” Jared says, then, “Don’t look at me like that,” because he hates how easy it is to read Bryce’s ‘that’s so _cheap_ ’ face.

“You do have it, though,” Bryce says. “I know you’ve been like, careful with your signing bonus.”

“Yeah, but not like, to _spend_ ,” Jared says. “I’ll need it if I’m going to be in Bakersfield or something.”

“So I’ll pay,” Bryce says, like it’s that easy. 

“We’ve already talked about this,” Jared says. “You can’t just pay for my shit, Bryce.”

“Please?” Bryce says. “You could like — it can be a loan if you want. You can pay me back when you’re making NHL salary. If you go up, that’s literally what you’d make in life, half a game, and you’re more likely to go up if you have personalized training. I know Chaz researched like crazy, like, almost as much as you, so it’s definitely worth the money.”

“Bryce,” Jared says.

“Seriously, this isn’t like — your parents always shelled out for the good equipment, right? Even though it was expensive?” Bryce says. “This is your career, Jared. It’s an investment.”

Jared chews his lip. “A loan,” he says.

“Okay,” Bryce says.

“I mean it,” Jared says. “I’m paying you back when I make it. And if I don’t make it, I’ll—”

Probably still pay him back, though he doesn’t know how the hell that work if he’s in the AHL, let alone the Dub, and he’s one-hundred percent certain Bryce would refuse to take it if Jared couldn’t easily afford it, be all scoffing ‘five grand is nothing, I’m not going to miss it’. Which, to be fair, is true. Still, he can’t take that kind of money. A loan he can do, at least.

“You’re going to make it,” Bryce says.

Jared makes a verbal commitment through Chaz, reluctantly accepts a cheque for five grand from Bryce.

“Your accountant’s going to shit,” Jared says.

“Like I didn’t spend more than that on my last watch,” Bryce says.

“ _Bryce_ ,” Jared moans. He didn’t want to know that. He looks at Bryce’s wrist. He’s not even wearing a watch. How can you drop that kind of money on a watch and then _not even wear it_?

“It’s a Breitling!” Bryce says.

“I don’t know what that _means_ ,” Jared says.

Bryce has the temerity to look appalled, like _Jared’s_ the crazy person here.

“I’m taking you watch shopping some time,” Bryce says.

“Not a chance in hell,” Jared says, and rolls his eyes when Bryce crosses his arms and commences sulking.

*

Raf comes into town two days later, and Jared figured he was just visiting Grace or something, but when they meet for lunch he finds out he’s in Calgary for the rest of the offseason.

“Grace wants to graduate in three, so she’s taking a few summer courses and we’re going to see how living together for a bit works,” Raf says, then, “Nothing from you, literally engaged guy.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Jared protests, then, “So Grace is as big as an over-achiever as you, huh?”

“Bigger,” Raf says. “She made honour roll every single year in high school.”

“You’re saying that like you didn’t make honour roll every single year,” Jared says. “And I’m not buying it.”

“I missed it one semester in grade eleven,” Raf says, sounding completely ashamed of himself.

“Aw buddy,” Jared says.

“I had two broken fingers!” Raf says. “It was hard to get stuff done!”

“ _Buddy_ ,” Jared says. “Does it haunt you? Does your one semester missing honour roll haunt you?”

“Fuck you,” Raf mumbles, which is as good as a yes.

Raf’s honestly good enough to get into Bryce’s super Albertan training group — he didn’t get nominated for the Calder, but he had a crazy good season, and unlike the Calder finalists, that wasn’t playing first or second line minutes. Apparently it was even an option, but he turned it down, which might be the best thing for like, Bryce’s blood pressure. He doesn’t have the same hate-on he had for Raf at the beginning, but he’s still totally irrational about him.

“It was way too much money,” Raf says, and Jared bites his tongue not to ask how much Bryce was actually offering to cover for him, considering Raf made ten times the amount Jared did last year. More, probably; there’s no way he didn’t get a few performance bonuses, the way he played. Jared’s already had enough of a shock about the watch; he started calculating how much money is like, strewn around their apartment, between Bryce’s watches and his wardrobe, and it was chilling. He had to stop or he wouldn’t sleep.

“You’ve got something lined up though, right?” Jared asks, but the question might as well be rhetorical. Like Raf would have come to Calgary unprepared. Guy’s still haunted by missing honour roll _three years ago_. Still, he’s kind of disappointed he won’t be training with him.

“Yeah,” Raf says. “I heard good things about Paulson with Edgework, and he’s limited it to six guys for the off-ice stuff, so I figured it’d be more personalized. I talked to him, and apparently he does a ton of stuff with daily routines and — why are you looking at me like that?”

Jared doesn’t literally clap his hands in glee, but — he kind of wants to.

“Shit, you too?” Raf asks.

“Hey!” Jared says. “I’m an excellent training partner. You loved having me as your training partner.”

“Bryce isn’t doing it too, right?” Raf asks.

“Nah,” Jared says.

Raf visibly slumps in relief. 

“Rude,” Jared says.

“You say that like you wouldn’t spend the whole time flirting,” Raf says.

“ _Rude_ ,” Jared repeats, but he isn’t like, denying it. It, in fact, is a fairly tame assumption compared to what probably would actually happen. “Oh cool, you get to meet Chaz.”

“Rossi?” Raf asks. “I know Chaz Rossi.”

Jared blinks.

“Nice guy,” Raf says.

*

Jared isn’t like, upset two of his friends — okay, his two friends outside of Bryce, he knows himself — already know each other and he wasn’t even aware. He is not.

“How do you know Raf Sanchez?” Jared asks Chaz when they meet up for a jog the next morning. Bryce was supposed to come, but when Jared tried to poke him awake for the fifth time he threw a pillow at him, so now if Bryce wants to jog, he’ll be jogging alone.

Chaz blinks. “Where’s BJ?”

“Being lazy,” Jared says. “How do you know Raf Sanchez?”

“I was on his team at All-Stars a couple years back,” Chaz says. “Nice guy.”

Jared scowls.

“Uh,” Chaz says. “Why?”

“He’s training with us,” Jared says.

“Cool,” Chaz says. “He’s crazy talented.”

“Yes,” Jared says.

“Do you…not like him or something?” Chaz asks.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Jared says.

Chaz blinks at him some more. “Did you like, not want us to meet or something?” 

“No,” Jared says. “It’s cool.”

“You sure about that, J?” Chaz asks.

“Yeah,” Jared says. “Let’s — jogging. We should do that.”

“Oh shit,” Chaz says behind him during the second loop. “Are you mad you don’t get to introduce us?”

“No,” Jared says, and speeds up when Chaz starts breathlessly laughing at him. Asshole. Jared doesn’t even like him. Bryce can have him.

“I can’t believe you didn’t wake me up,” Bryce whines when Jared gets home. Chaz can have Bryce too. Everyone in Jared’s life sucks. 

“I tried,” Jared says. “Five times. You threw a pillow at me.”

“Oh,” Bryce says, with dawning realisation. “That’s why there was a pillow on the floor.”

Jared rolls his eyes at him, goes to grab a Gatorade. “Sad, Marcus.”

Bryce trails behind him. “Sorry I threw a pillow?” he says, all hangdog, wrapping his arms around Jared from behind.

“Not forgiven,” Jared says, then, “Stop, I’m sweaty.”

Bryce doesn’t remove his nose from Jared’s hair. “Why’re you grumpy?”

“I’m not grumpy,” Jared mutters. “This is my normal behaviour. What are you doing?”

“Kissing you,” Bryce mumbles against the back of his neck.

“Quit it,” Jared says. 

He can feel Bryce shake his head, stubble scratchy. “Why’re you grumpy?” he repeats.

“Chaz and Raf like, know each other,” Jared says. “Don’t laugh.”

“Why would I laugh?” Bryce says.

“I have like, two friends,” Jared says. “And they know each other, and it’s. I don’t know. I’m annoyed, I guess. It’s stupid.”

“I’m your friend,” Bryce says, sounding all hurt.

“Duh,” Jared says. “You’re my best friend. But you’re also my fiancé, it’s a whole different category.”

“I’m your best friend?” Bryce says. 

“I mean, aren’t I yours?” Jared asks.

“Yeah,” Bryce says. “I mean —”

“It’s okay if I’m tied with Elaine,” Jared says.

“Shut up,” Bryce mutters. “I just thought Rafael was or something.” His voice literally goes dark when he says Raf’s name. 

“Dude, you are going to have to get over the Raf thing, because like, he’s going to come over all the time this summer,” Jared says. Well. Unless he like — hangs out with Chaz instead.

Jared is fully aware he is being ridiculous, but he can’t help it.

Bryce is quiet for a moment. “As long as I’m your best friend,” he says, after a second.

“Are you _five_?” Jared asks.

“Say it again,” Bryce says, because he _is_ five.

“You’re my best friend, you giant baby,” Jared says. “Happy now?”

“Yeah,” Bryce says, and Jared can feel his smile against his skin.

“Can you start calling him Raf like he’s repeatedly asked you to now?” Jared says.

Bryce is quiet again. “Maybe,” he decides, and Jared guesses he’ll just have to take that as a win.


End file.
